US Investors Drawn to Africa’s Economic Potential

In the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, with thousands of families decimated, and many Rwandans left to fend for themselves, Janet Nkubana devised a way to help women become self-reliant.

“They had lost husbands, they had lost children, some were the only surviving member of a family. It led to me and my sister Joy thinking of how we can make ends meet for these women,” Nkubana said. “The only opportunity that was available was the handwork that women knew how to do, which was weaving.”

Nearly 20 years later, Nkubana is the co-founder and managing director of Gahaya Links, selling handwoven baskets and handmade jewelry overseas to large American retailers such as Macy’s.

“We have actually empowered more than 3,000 women in Rwandan communities. These women are no long on the street begging, they can buy their own health insurance, they can pay tuition for their children,” Nkubana said.

Thanks for visiting LoA. This community is all about telling the inspirational stories of some of Africa's most successful and innovative women entrepreneurs; engaging in discussions about issues that matter to women entrepreneurs; celebrating success; and showcasing some of the incredible companies, products and services on offer around the continent from women-owned businesses - Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief

Women dominated the Zimbabwe Institute of Management 2017 Leadership Excellence awards that were presented in Harare this month, with Securico Security Services founder, Divine Ndhlukula, picking up the prestigious Private Sector Leader of the Year award. She received the award for her ongoing contribution to management excellence in the country in the preceding year and for being an example and inspiration for others to emulate.

Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, founder of Gorilla Conservation Coffee, the game-changing for-profit social enterprise which aims to improve the livelihoods of coffee farmers whilst at the same time protecting mountain gorillas in Uganda, has just been recognised by this year’s prestigious SEED Awards.

The Keroche Foundation Young Entrepreneurs Mentorship Program is one of the tangible ways that leading Kenyan entrepreneur, Tabitha Karanja, founder of Keroche Breweries, is fulfilling her vision of empowering a new generation of young entrepreneurs in her country. Five young women entrepreneurs have just been recognized for their business building activities in the second cohort to graduate from the program.

This month saw the appointment of Divine Ndhlukula, founder of game changing security services company, Securico, as the new Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) President, a post she will occupy for the next two years. She has committed to dedicating her time at the helm of the ZNCC to furthering the cause of small to medium sized enterprises, something close to her heart as an entrepreneur. Divine said: “It will be important to note that we will focus on helping SMEs to realize their full potential as they now anchor the country’s economy. In the same vein, we will also strive to ensure that the country’s economy can realize its full potential.”

In the Upper East Region of Ghana, cooking is a dangerous and time-consuming daily activity. Results from a self-reported survey indicate that women spend two hours a day gathering fuel and water, followed by up to four hours standing over open fires1. Exposed to cooking smoke for hours each day, women and small children can be at higher risk for deadly diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, heart disease and lung cancer.

Leading African beauty industry entrepreneur, Tara Fela-Durotoye, together with other leading Nigerian entrepreneurs are raising their voices to stand against counterfeiting, intellectual property theft and piracy in Nigeria. Their powerful new campaign 'United We Stand' aimed at tackling piracy, counterfeiting and intellectual property theft head-on launched on 24th February 2017. The campaign is a call to action against injustice which also implores the Nigerian public to take extra steps to preserve hard work and to ensure consumer safety by buying genuine products and shunning counterfeit products.

In her latest book, Creativity Rules, international bestselling author and Stanford University professor, Tina Seelig, adapts her wildly popular creativity course to a practical guide where entrepreneurs can put their best ideas into action.

Beyond Ordinary – who wants to be ordinary anyway? Author Emma Holmes’ new book, Beyond Ordinary, is for those people who have decided that they are happy to defy ordinary when it comes to building a business.